Heavy smoking may cause irreversible damage to arteries

The effects of heavy smoking may be cumulative and irreversible, according to a large longitudinal study of almost 11000 middle aged adults. The atherosclerosis risk in communities study also found that both active and passive smoking speed the progression of atherosclerosis (JAMA 1998;279:119-24).

The study's author, George Howard, professor of public health sciences and neurology at the Wake Forest University, said: “The effect of smoking on atherosclerosis …